Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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A collecting bag having an accommodating means for a
closure device.
The present invention relates to a collecting bag
for human body wastes comprising a bag member formed by
two film blanks with j oined edges defining the outer
contours of the bag member, an inlet opening provided
in one of said film blanks, connecting elements
surrounding said inlet opening for connection of the
bag to a body orifice, a discharge portion at a
distance from the inlet opening comprising a discharge
opening, a closure device at the discharge portion for
bringing the bag from a discharge position, in which
the bag is open, to a position of use, in which the bag
is closed, and accommodating means for accommodating
said closure device in the position of use of the bag.
In such collecting bags the discharge portion is
normally temporarily attached to the bag member in the
position of use of the bag in order to attain a compact
appearance in this position and to prevent the
discharge portion and the closure device from dangling
which might be uncomfortable to the user. In bags
having an elongated, substantially flat discharge
portion, this portion is folded or rolled up in the
direction of the bag member, partly in order to close
the bag and partly to attain said compact appearance
and the attachment to the bag member.
W096/19164 discloses a collecting bag of this kind
in which the discharge portion is rolled up on a clip
fastened to one of the film blanks.
GB patent applications Nos. 2 268 065 and 2 000
683 disclose collecting bags, in which strips of the
interlocking-elements type, such as Velcro, are placed
on each of the film blanks of the discharge portion and
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which after rolling or folding the discharge portion
tightly are brought into contact with each other.
In EP patent application No. 13 109 the folded
discharge portion is tucked into a gap provided between
a strip fixed to one wall of the bag and the wall
itself .
In all of the above documents it is a prerequisite
that the discharge portion is substantially flat. In
collecting bags having a closure device of some extent,
eg. a valve or a clamp, these solutions may not be
applied.
US patent No. 2,520,831 discloses a collecting bag
in which the folded discharge portion, which is closed
by means of a clamp, is accommodated in a pouch
provided at the proximal end of the discharge portion
in the position of use of the bag, in which the pouch
is closed by means of a zipper-like slide fastener. Due
to the structure of the elements of the closure device,
opening and closing of the bag require some dexterity,
eg. the discharge portion has to be held manually
within the pouch when activating the slide fastener and
has to be withdrawn from the pouch in order to empty
the bag. In addition, the use of a slide fastener
renders the manufacture of the collecting bag expensive
and cumbersome.
US patent No. 4,519,797 discloses a cover for an
ostomy pouch having a drain fitting at the bottom of
the pouch. The cover has an opening allowing the pouch
to be mounted in the usual manner on the plate worn by
the patient. The cover has an integral pocket which
receives the drain fitting to prevent irritation to the
sensitive portions of the anatomy.
This solution, however, while preventing the drain
fitting from directly contacting sensitive portions of
the anatomy, contributes to the bulkiness of the pouch,
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thereby compromising the demand for discretion.
US patent No. 4, 449, 971 discloses a collecting bag
of the initially stated kind, in which the
accommodating means in the form of a pocket having an
entrance slit is formed on an extension of the bag
member. Similar arrangements are shown in e.g. US
patents Nos 3,865,165 and 4,306,029.
The object of the present invention is to improve
a collecting bag of the kind mentioned in the
introduction with respect to ease of operation and
manufacturing conditions and which furthermore may be
used regardless of the type of closure device, at the
same time improving both the comfort and the
discretion.
For achieving this, a collecting bag according to
the invention is characterized in that said
accommodating means comprises at least one open
receptacle formed in said bag member within said outer
contours and has a basis portion in which said film
blanks are undetachably connected to each other, and
that the periphery of the basis portion is situated at
a distance from the joined edges of the bag member and
the discharge portion.
By the provision of an accommodating means in the
form of an open receptacle having a basis portion, it
is very simple to place the closure device in the
accommodating means. The position of the basis portion
entails that the outer contours of the bag member are
not affected by the accommodating means, and at the
same time, a free passage is provided from the bag
member to the discharge portion. The undetachable
connection between the film blanks makes it possible to
lodge the closure device in its entirety in the
accommodating means so that it does not protrude
outside the arched planes formed by the film blanks
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when the bag is expanded by the contents. Furthermore,
the accommodating means may be formed in an easy and
inexpensive manner thus reducing the manufacturing and
material costs.
In the following the invention will be described
in further detail with reference to the schematic
drawings, in which the bag is shown in the shape it
will assume when at least partly filled and
Fig. 1 shows a side view of a collecting bag
according to the invention in a discharge position;
Fig. 2 shows a plan view of the collecting bag
shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 shows a plan view of the collecting bag in
a position of use;
Fig. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the
collecting bag along the line IV-IV in Fig. 3;
Fig. 5 shows a side view of the collecting bag in
the position shown in Fig. 3; and
Fig. 6 shows a longitudinal section of the
collecting bag along the line VI-VI in Fig. 3.
The collecting bag shown in the drawings comprises
a bag member 1 formed by two film blanks 2,3 which are
joined along their edges by means of a seam 4 made by
welding or in any other convenient manner and defining
the outer contours of the bag member. The film blanks
may be made from any suitable flexible plastic sheet or
foil material.
In the film blank 3 which in use is intended to
face the user and thus forms the back wall of the bag,
an inlet opening, not shown, is provided which in a
manner known per se is surrounded by connecting
elements 5 for connection of the bag to a body orifice
in the form of a so-called stoma in the user's
abdominal wall.
At a distance from the inlet opening and the
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connecting elements 5, the bag is designed with a
discharge portion 6 having a discharge opening, not
shown in detail, through which the bag may be emptied
of its contents.
5 In order to bring the bag from the open or
discharge position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 to a position
of use, in which the bag is closed, the collecting bag
comprises a closure device 7 which in the embodiment
shown is designed as a valve but which as well be
designed in any other way.
An accommodating means 8 for accommodating the
closure device 7 in the position of use of the
collecting bag is designed in the bag member 1. The
accommodating means comprises an open receptacle with
a basis portion 9 surrounded by portions 2a of the
front film blank 2. In the basis portion 9 the two film
blanks 2,3 are, as most clearly seen in Figs. 4 and 6,
connected to each other in an undetachable manner, eg.
by means of a welded or heat-sealed joint extending
along the periphery 9a of the basis portion 9 or by
gluing the film blanks together in this area. As seen
in Figs. 3 to 6 the closure device 7 is accommodated in
the accommodating means 8 in its entirety and does not
protrude outside the outer contours of the bag in the
plane of the bag, neither does it protrude outside the
arched plane defined by the remaining portions 2b of
the front film blank. Thus, a very compact appearance
of the bag is obtained in the position of use.
It is of course conceivable, although not
preferred, to place the closure device in the
corresponding receptacle formed at the back of the bag
member.
In order to improve the securing of the closure
device 7 in the open receptacle formed by the basis
portion 9 and the portions 2a of front film blank 2
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surrounding the basis portion 9, the accommodating
means may further comprise a retaining means, which in
the embodiment shown is provided in the shape of a
strip 10 which in one end is undetachably connected to
the bag member and in the other end has an engagement
section for releasable engagement with a corresponding
section on the bag member. The engagement sections may
comprise interlocking elements, eg. of the Velcro type.
The strip 10 may also be undetachably secured in a
middle section and have foldable ends with
corresponding engagement sections, said foldable ends
having lengths enabling them to reach around the
closure device 7 for engagement or it may be provided
separately and comprise an engagement section in each
end .
Other types of retaining means may be conceivable,
eg. it is possible to provide the closure device itself
with an engagement section for releasable engagement
with a corresponding section in the basis portion.
The periphery 9a of the basis portion 9 is
situated at a distance from the joined edges of the bag
member, ie. the seam 4, and the discharge portion 6 in
order to permit the contents of the bag to flow out of
the discharge portion 6 and the discharge opening
during emptying of the bag. It is of course possible to
place the accommodating means in the vicinity of one of
the edges as long as there is still a free passage
between the bag member and the discharge portion.
The basis portion 9 of the accommodating means has
cross-sectional dimensions corresponding to the
dimensions of the closure device 7. By this design, a
safe retention of the closure device in the
accommodating means 8 is obtained and at the same time
the volume available for body wastes in the remaining
part of the bag is reduced as little as possible.
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The invention should not be regarded as being
limited to the embodiment described in the above but
various modifications may be carried out without
departing from the scope of the following claims.
For example, although the invention has been
described only with reference to one kind of closure
device, viz. a valve, it is of course possible to apply
it to other forms of closure devices comprising eg.
clamps or adhesive connections.
